With Counter-Strike’s esports scene gearing up for the PGL Astana playoffs and the Group Stage of IEM Atlanta, it’s an unusually quiet time for Valve’s first-person shooter despite two Tier 1 tournaments taking place.
Despite the lack of tournament results and roster moves, there are some of the big stories from across the international scene.
Karrigan Makes Team Falcons Debut
Following his departure from FaZe Clan, Finn “Karrigan” Andersen made his debut for Team Falcons in the Swiss Stage of PGL Astana.
A quick 2-0 victory over K27 was expected for a team of this caliber, but what wasn’t predicted was a 2-1 defeat to an in-form 9z roster that has steamrolled its way into the playoffs without a defeat.
Team Falcons bounced back from its defeat in round three, sweeping aside Monte 2-0, putting Karrigan and the rest of the squad on the verge of another playoff appearance.
Across all three best-of-threes, Karrigan found himself at the bottom of the scoreboard. In most instances, a player struggling to deal consistent damage in high-profile events is a cause for concern.
“My main focus has been on the T side, and let NiKo do the calling on the CT side,” revealed Karrigan in a recent interview. “We are not a finished product at this event yet, but I’m just looking forward to seeing how we strive under the pressure of official games.”
While Karrigan isn’t topping the charts in serious damage output or eliminations, his vast experience as an in-game leader and rifler is proving extremely valuable as he guides the young superstars Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin to success.
Will ESL Pro League’s Saudi Move Set New Precedent?
During the time between tournaments, ESL FACEIT Group revealed that Season 25 of ESL Pro League will take place in Saudi Arabia.
Previous seasons of the long-standing event have taken place in Europe and the Americas, but Season 25 marks Pro League’s Middle Eastern debut.
The arrival of Counter-Strike in Saudi Arabia was inevitable. In 2022, Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group purchased ESL and FACEIT in a $1.5bn deal, leading the tournament organizer to set up a dedicated operations hub in Riyadh.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in esports with the launch of the Esports World Cup and the Esports Nations Cup. ESL Pro League’s move to the Middle East could set a new precedent for other high-profile events in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s esports investments are often described as a form of sportswashing, a technique where sporting events are used to improve the reputation of a country and distract from its human rights record. Depending on the success of ESL Pro League, it will be interesting to see if other tournaments outside of the EWC umbrella decide to host events in the region.
CS2 Players Debate Armored Aim Punch
The introduction of Animgraph 2 to Counter-Strike 2 looked to optimize animations and make movement feel closer to Global Offensive.
While movement feels more akin to Counter-Strike’s predecessor, another issue has sparked debate among players. A recent Reddit thread has sparked debate within the community, claiming that shaking while shooting has increased, negatively impacting accuracy.
The original poster believes the armored aim punch makes taking damage feel significantly harder, thanks to increased screen shake and crosshair movement.
“The most annoying update I’ve ever experienced in an FPS game,” comments one frustrated player.
Armored aim punch continues to divide Counter-Strike players, with some believing that it rewards players who land the first shots. It remains to be seen whether the mechanic will impact the highest level of competition.
IEM Atlanta: The Calm Before The Major
Before the eyes of the Counter-Strike community turn their attention to the Cologne Major, attention has turned to IEM Atlanta, one of the last Tier 1 tournaments taking place before 32 of the world’s best teams head to Germany for the first of two tentpole events.
The all-conquering Team Vitality roster looks to begin the latest ESL Grand Slam season on the front foot, adding another trophy to its ever-expanding cabinet. The French organization finds itself in the unusual position of Group A’s lower bracket following a surprise defeat to BetBoom in the upper bracket semi-finals. The world’s best team faces off against FaZe Clan as it looks to secure a place in another playoff.
For the Red Militia, the new-look roster hopes to build on an impressive debut at BLAST Rivals Fort Worth with another strong showing. Frenchman Ryan “Neityu” Aubry continues to make an impact with a rifle in hand, sparking a much-needed resurgence for a team that missed out on qualifying for the Major.
The start of a new ESL Grand Slam season gives the world’s top teams an additional incentive to win one of Counter-Strike’s largest prizes.
Following Team Vitality’s successful defense, any team that wins four ESL-operated tournaments within a ten-event window is awarded a $1m prize. If a team manages to deny a team their final victory by defeating them in a Grand Final, they’re awarded $100,000.
The tournament paints an excellent backdrop of the Counter-Strike landscape, giving fans one final look at how squads are performing before the biggest tournament of the year.
May’s Meaningless VRS
On May 4th, 2026, Valve released the latest edition of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) following a busy April for global Counter-Strike.
As expected, Team Vitality held onto the top spot in the standings following a dominant victory at IEM Rio.
The standings determine which teams earn an invitation to DraculaN Season 7 and XSE Pro League Season 26, taking place in June. Notably, the standings don’t determine invitations to any Tier 1 tournaments due to the post-Major player break.
Several teams have climbed and fallen down the table. Notable movers include FUT Esports which reached fourth place, EYEBALLERS, and Team Nemesis. EYEBALLERS and Team Nemesis both moved ten places following a string of strong performances in Tier 2 competitions.
While the VRS does determine invites for smaller tournaments, the lack of Tier 1 ramifications makes May’s standings almost irrelevant to the top teams.
